6 Shoulders to Cry On
by ChocolateChipCookie26
Summary: Takes place after The Hunter. The gang try to help Gilligan heal after his ordeal with Kinkaid.
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: Yep, another Hunter fic. I enjoy these stories, and I sure hope nobody's getting tired of them. I'm not. I wanted to write a long one of my own. I already wrote a couple of one shots on it, and wanted to write a longer one. Enjoy! :)

After Skipper and Professor got Gilligan out of the tree, they walked him back to camp where the others were waiting on him. Gilligan had a splitting headache, and just wanted to lie down and forget the whole mess. It had been a very long and stressful twenty-four hours. The others jumped up anxiously when they saw Gilligan. As expected, Ginger and Mary Ann ran up to him, hugging him and kissing him, not wanting to let him go. The Howells were overjoyed to see that the dear boy was alright, and were struggling to hold in tears.

"Now, now, everybody, let Gilligan breathe," Professor said, with a laugh. He was so relieved that his friend was all right, that he couldn't care less that they weren't rescued.

"Are you hungry, little buddy?"

"Not really, Skipper. I-I just want to lie down."

"All right, but at least have some water."

Gilligan nodded and took a cup from Mary Ann, and gulped it. He had never been so thirsty in his life. After finishing it, the others watched Gilligan head to the direction of the hut so he could lie down. They were worried about him. They knew that it would probably take a while for their best friend to get over this ordeal.

Professor went to his hut to work on one of his many experiments, the Howells returned to their hut to change their clothes, since they had worn them for twenty-four hours straight. Ginger went to set the table for dinner, and Mary Ann decided to bake a coconut cream pie for when Gilligan woke up. Skipper decided to go into the hut and watch Gilligan as he slept.

His poor little buddy. Gilligan had been ecstatic that he survived, but after finding out how close Kinkaid came to killing him, he passed out. It was one of those scary situations where you didn't really get scared until after it was over. Like, when you watch a scary movie, and you're not scared watching it, but get scared after it's over.

After a couple hours sleep, Gilligan woke up to find Skipper sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"Skipper?"

"Oh, little buddy, you're awake!"

Skipper sat his book down and quickly ran up to his little buddy.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Well, come on. Dinner's ready."

They walked outside to the table where the others were waiting eagerly. Mary Ann put on her brightest most cheerful smile. Professor had told them all to behave happily and normally around Gilligan, and not to ask him any questions about the hunt. After all, when Gilligan was ready to talk, he would.

"Hi, Gilligan! I've made you all your favorites. Professor went to the lagoon and trapped some lobsters for us. I baked you a coconut cream pie. Ginger cut up some fruit for you."

Ginger shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, Gilligan, you know I'm a bad cook."

Gilligan gave Ginger a small smile. "It's okay, Ginger."

"And I decided to bring out one of my best bottles of Bubbly," said Mr. Howell holding up a bottle of wine.

They all sat down to eat, and couldn't help notice how Gilligan hardly touched his food. He would take little nibbles, but other than that, he barely touched it.

"Gilligan, you better clean your plate if you want any of my coconut cream pie," Mary Ann said with a wink and a smile.

"Your pie is wonderful, Mary Ann, and I thank you all for this delicious meal, but I'm not feeling too good. I-I think I better go lie back down."

Gilligan excused himself from the table and headed back to the hut. The others all watched him, concern etched on all of their faces.

"Oh, my poor little buddy."

Mrs. Howell waved her gloved hands. "He really does need to eat something to keep up his strength. He's such a skinny boy."


	2. Chapter 2

NOTE: Thanks to all who have reviewed, and favorited! It means a lot! Enjoy! :)

The next morning, Gilligan looked horrible. He looked like he hadn't had a wink of sleep. His eyes were red and bloodshot. Skipper had to practically force feed him his breakfast since he didn't have his appetite back yet. Ginger and Mary Ann were doing their hardest to control their tears, but it wasn't easy. After eating a few bites of food, Gilligan fell asleep with his head lying on the table and started to snore. They decided to let him lie there, because he looked so peaceful, and didn't want to risk waking him up by trying to get him to his hammock.

After sleeping for about three and a half hours, Gilligan felt a little bit better. Not much, but a little. Skipper had decided to take him fishing. He knew how much Gilligan enjoyed fishing, and hoped that it would cheer up his little buddy. They both sat quietly, trying to catch dinner.

"Hey, Gilligan, you hear the one about the monkey and the sea horse?"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh. Well, um, maybe after fishing, we could play a game of Checkers or something?"

"Sure, Skipper."

Skipper sighed, and they continued to fish in silence. Skipper was able to catch a few, but for the first time in a long time, Gilligan didn't catch a thing. It was no wonder. Gilligan forgot to bait his hook!

"I'm sorry, Skipper, I guess my mind just wasn't-"

"It's all right, little buddy, we've got plenty to eat. Come on, let's get it back to camp, all right?"

They headed back to camp, and Skipper decided to tell Mary Ann that it was Gilligan who caught them. Gilligan opened his mouth to protest, but Skipper held up his hand to silence him.

Ginger walked up to Gilligan, and gave him a seductive smile.

"Hi, Gilligan. Would you like to go for a dip in the lagoon with me? I still have that polk-a-dot bikini, you know."

"No thanks, Ginger. Skipper, I'll play Checkers with you later. I-I just want to be alone for a while, okay?"

"Oh. Sure, little buddy."

Skipper, Ginger, and Mary Ann all watched sadly as Gilligan took off in the direction of the jungle. They didn't want him to be alone, but Professor kept telling them that Gilligan would come out of his shell soon, just be supportive.

They were trying, but boy, it sure was hard. After cleaning the fish, Mary Ann made sure that the others were distracted with other things. She was going to find Gilligan and try and cheer him up. No, she wasn't going to mention Kinkaid or the hunt, but she was going to do her best to get a smile out of him.

Gilligan sat under a tree, fiddling with his untied shoe laces. He made sure there were no coconuts on it before sitting under it. It was a really nice day today. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue, and the weather was only about seventy-five degrees or so. Three years stuck on this island, and nothing but bad luck came their way. Different people would show up and get their hopes up that they were finally going to be rescued, only to betray them in the end. Kinkaid had been the worst. He was pure evil, and it made Gilligan sick to his stomach just thinking about him. Gilligan had never in his life hated another living thing, but Kinkaid was the exception. The thing was, Gilligan hated him more for getting their hopes up about being rescued, then the actual hunt, if that made any sense. He was more concerned for his friends than for himself.

The nightmares didn't help. Nightmares of being chased by Kinkaid. Each of them were the same, but also different. He would be running, and Kinkaid would catch up to him about to shoot, when one of the other Castaways would stand in front of him, sacrificing theirselves for him. All six of them had done it in his nightmares, and they were awful. He was touched that his friends would do that for him, but he could not and would not ever let them.

"Gilligan."

Gilligan turned and found Mary Ann standing there, her usual cheerful smile on her pretty young face. Her hair was in pigtails, and she was wearing her gingam dress. Gilligan's favorite.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, Mary Ann."

Mary Ann sat down next to him, and stretched her legs out.

"It sure is a beautiful day." 

"Yeah."

"Oh, Gilligan, I made you two coconut cream pies for dessert. You're not going to disappoint me again, are you, by not eating any?"

"No, Mary Ann. I'll eat some. Thanks."

There was a pause. They both sat looking and listening to everything in the jungle.

"You know, Gilligan, tomorrow, if it's a nice day, we should go butterfly hunting. Its been a while."

Gilligan cringed, which caused Mary Ann to arch an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's the matter?"

"N-nothing. I'm just-"

Mary Ann realized what she said. _Hunting. _

"Oh. Gilligan, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Oh, no! It's okay, Mary Ann. Really."

Mary Ann nodded and sighed. She needed to get him to relax. Sitting here, he looked relaxed, but she could tell he wasn't.

"Gilligan, lay your head on my lap."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Gilligan laid his head down on Mary Ann's lap. She took off his white sailor's hat and started to run her fingers through his dark brown hair.

"Wanna hear a story?"

"Sure."

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy. The handsomest, sweetest, most gentle boy in the world. He lived with his family, who all adored him. One day, he met a mean, ugly monster, who wanted to hurt him. But the boy wasn't afraid. He stood up to the big mean monster, and destroyed him with his magical sword. Then he met a girl who always liked him, but was too shy to admit it. She was very impressed by the way he stood up to the monster, and it made her love him even more for it. Then one day, they both fell in love."

Before Mary Ann could say any more, Gilligan had dozed off in her lap. Mary Ann smiled. She couldn't get him to smile, but at least she got him to get a little bit more sleep. Three hours wasn't very much, especially if you didn't sleep at all the night before. Mary Ann leaned her head back against the tree, and closed her eyes, deciding to take a little nap herself.


	3. Chapter 3

NOTE: Hi, all! Again, I thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! If I don't respond to them individually sometimes, I hope that's not a problem. If I don't, I sure am going to thank you all in the authors notes! :) Now, in this chapter, I have made Gilligan OOC, just a little, as I don't think he would say some of these things on the show. Enjoy! :)

When Gilligan opened his eyes, it was dark. For a minute, he was scared that Kinkaid had come back, and he was hiding in the jungle. But he sighed in relief when he saw that Mary Ann was with him, sound asleep with her head against the tree. Boy, she sure looked like an angel when she slept. Sometimes, he wondered if Mary Ann was an angel, for she was one of the sweetest, kindest, most understanding girls he had ever met in his life. Her eyes were a lovely shade of brown, and reminded him of chocolate cake. Gilligan had gotten a good nap in, and there had been no nightmares at all. Thanks to Mary Ann. One day, she was going to make some guy the luckiest guy in the world. He was about to shake her shoulder to wake her, when a voice shouted, "GILLIGAN! MARY ANN!"

It was Skipper. Mary Ann opened her eyes and looked around.

"Over here, Skipper," Gilligan yelled.

It wasn't just Skipper that was looking for them. It was all of them.

"Where have you been, Gilligan? Mary Ann? We've all been worried sick! I want you both to get back to camp, immediately, and that's an order!"

Mary Ann cowered at Skipper's tone of voice. "I'm sorry, Skipper."

Professor now rounded on her.

"Mary Ann, I told you to leave Gilligan alone!"

"I'm sorry, Professor."

Ginger, and the Howells all started to round on her, too, about taking off and not telling them where she was going, for they were all scared out of their minds.

"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!"

They all turned in shock at Gilligan. He had never screamed so loudly and angrily, at any of them. It felt good getting all of this pent up frustration out. It had definitely been a long time coming.

"SKIPPER, YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A BIG BULLY! WHENEVER SOMETHING GOES WRONG, EVEN IF IT WASN'T MY FAULT, YOU BLAME ME! THEN YOU SCARE POOR MARY ANN! PROFESSOR, MARY ANN HAD EVERY RIGHT TO COME AND TALK TO ME! YOU'RE NOT HER BOSS! GINGER, HOW ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER, AND BE A FRIEND, INSTEAD OF ALWAYS COMING ON TO ME! MR. AND MRS. HOWELL- YOU BOTH CAN TAKE YOUR MONEY AND SH-"

Gilligan stopped himself from saying it. He couldn't bring himself to say that. He had said some pretty nasty things there, and he felt really bad about it. He knew they were all just worried about him, and only rounded on Mary Ann because she left without telling anyone. The others all had their jaws hanging open.

Suddenly, Ginger burst into tears, walked up to Gilligan and smacked him. Not really hard like she did in the past, though.

"How dare you? Gilligan, I assure you, that I have always been a friend to you, and always will be! That's never going to change! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Gilligan nodded his head, and rubbed his stinging cheek.

"You're right, Ginger, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Everybody, I-I didn't mean it. Just, just don't be so hard on Mary Ann, all right?"

They all turned to Mary Ann and apologized for being so rough on her. The others weren't mad at Gilligan, they were just stunned by what he said. Especially the Howells. Mrs. Howell looked like she was about to have one of her fainting spells. Seeing the looks on the others faces, Gilligan felt even worse.

"You know, sometimes I think- I think it would have been best if I died in that shipwreck."

With that, Gilligan wandered off, leaving the others in even more shock.


	4. Chapter 4

"Professor, am I a bad person?"

Ginger was sitting in the Professor's hut, tears and mascara running down her pretty face. Her arms were crossed, and she was rocking back and forth, her eyes staring down at the floor. Professor saw how much Gilligan's words had cut the movie star, and wanted to try and make her feel better. He knew that Gilligan didn't mean his harsh words, for he even said he didn't, he was just lashing out. Not just at Ginger, but at all of them. Except Mary Ann.

"Ginger, you are not a bad person. Not at all. You're a very good person. You love your friends, and would do absolutely anything for them. Look what you were willing to do with Kinkaid to save Gilligan's life! That took tremendous courage, and I'm proud of you."

Ginger blushed at the Professor's words. She was used to compliments, but for some reason, this compliment meant the most to her.

"Gilligan didn't mean what he said, Ginger. You know that."

"Yes, I do, Professor. But- I'm not really crying because of what he said. I'm crying because part of me believes that he was right. I mean, look at all the times I came on to him to get something I want, instead of just simply asking. There were times I even scared the poor boy half to death!"

Professor laughed at this. "Ginger, Gilligan is very shy. I was a little shy when I first met you, too. I mean, you're a beautiful movie star! Can you really blame Gilligan for being nervous around you? It's one thing if a girl comes on to him, but it wasn't just any girl. It was _you. _A glamorous, Hollywood movie star. Who wouldn't be intimidated?"

Ginger gave a small smile and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief.

"Gilligan's like my little brother, Professor. I'm just used to using my looks and my glamor to get what I want."

"I know. But Gilligan's not afraid of you anymore. He's gotten used to your advances by now."

Ginger nodded her head. "Yes, that is true."

"He thinks you're a wonderful friend, Ginger. He's said so lots of times. He yelled at all of us today, and it caught us all off guard, but he didn't mean it. It was just the stress talking."

"I know. I'm worried about him, though. I still can't get what he said out of my head. About how he wished he'd died in the shipwreck. The Gilligan I know would never say anything like that."

Professor sighed and put a comforting arm around Ginger. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Professor, I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Ginger?"

Ginger sniffed and sat up to look into his eyes.

"I mean every word I'm about to say. For about a year I've felt this way but never had the courage to actually admit it. I've dated lots of guys, but never one that I had a connection with. I didn't think I would ever find someone I would fall in love with. Remember Erika Tiffany Smith?"

Professor's eyes widened at this. What was she trying to say?

"Ginger- are- are you trying to say that-"

"Yes."

"You're in love with Erika Tiffany Smith?"

Ginger sighed and shook her head.

"I swear, Professor, you're beginning to sound like Gilligan."

Professor's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"I'm in love with you."

Professor was no longer chuckling.

"Y-you are?"

"Yes. When Erika showed up, and you came to me, and I showed you how you should be with her, I was jealous. I just got this strange feeling in my gut. I had never felt that way about any other man before. I know that you probably don't feel the same way. You're into girls that are into science and books and stuff. I find it fascinating when you explain it to me, but the only things I like to read are scripts. Why don't we just forget what I said?"

Ginger stood up to leave, but Professor grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He then stood up and looked deep into her green eyes. Then without warning, he grabbed her by the back of the head and gave her a long, lingering kiss on the lips.


	5. Chapter 5

NOTE: Again, I would like to thank each and every one who has reviewed. If I don't reply personally to the reviews, all the time then I apologize, but I really do appreciate all of them. :) I will reply soon, I promise. Enjoy!

Gilligan sat alone in his cave, his knees drawn up to his chest, his elbows on them, and his face in his hands. Whenever Gilligan couldn't take all the stress, he would run away to his cave. There was something that Gilligan did that he wasn't proud of. If any of them knew what he done to himself, he shuttered to think about it. He hadn't done it very long, only for a couple of weeks, but he still knew it was wrong.

He had started cutting his arms. Gilligan was never the type to harm himself on purpose, for he was usually a very happy young man, and deep down in his heart, he knew all of his island friends loved him. He loved them as well. It was just sometimes the pain was too much to take. They would call him all kinds of horrible names, and one day he just snapped. He even snapped again at his friends. Gilligan was more sorry for that than anything. He knew they were all just worried about him, but he didn't like that they had a go at Mary Ann. It was one thing to yell at him, another thing completely to yell at the sweetest girl in the world.

Gilligan was brought out of his thoughts by a voice.

"Knock, knock."

Gilligan turned his head and saw Ginger standing there.

"Can I come in, Gilligan?"

"Sure, I guess."

Ginger smiled and crawled in the cave, and sat on the rock opposite Gilligan. She was definitely happier than she had been a little while ago. She would be ecstatic if Gilligan was feeling any better.

"I just came to apologize to you, Gilligan. All those times I've come on to you, I know I scared you, and I should have left you alone. I only do those things because back in Hollywood, that's how I usually got what I wanted. I'm not proud of it. That's just the way it was. I'm really sorry, Gilligan. That was back then. Now you're like my brother. Oh, and I'm sorry for slapping you earlier. Or for any other time I've slapped you."

Gilligan gave a small smile. It wasn't much, but at least it was something.

"That's okay, Ginger. I deserved it. I know you mean well. You're a wonderful friend, and I didn't mean any of the things I said earlier. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

"It's okay, Gilligan. You missed dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

"Gilligan, you promised us all you would eat."

Gilligan sighed, and nodded his head.

"All right, I'll eat something."

"Good boy. Come on."

Ginger walked Gilligan back to camp, where the others were waiting on him. They already finished their meal, but fixed a fresh plate for Gilligan. Gilligan apologized to them all for leaving.

"We understand, little buddy, but I really wish you would stop running away to that cave when something goes wrong. We can't solve our problems by running from them."

"You're right, Skipper. I-I- before I eat, I have something I need to tell you all. Well, show you all. I've stopped, though. I promise I have."

Gilligan took a deep breath and lifted up the shirt sleeve of his right arm, showing the six others the scars. They all gasped in horror, as Gilligan started to lift the sleeve of his left arm. Mrs. Howell looked like she was about to faint. Luckily, Mr. Howell caught her just in time.

Mary Ann and Ginger burst into tears and ran into their hut. Professor quickly ran up to Gilligan, and dragged him to his hut to work on the scars. Skipper was right behind them.

Once inside the hut, Professor sat Gilligan down in a chair, and got some medicine out to work on the cuts. Skipper looked like he wanted to yell at his little buddy, but for once, was able to control his temper. Yelling at him wasn't going to change what already happened.

All was quiet as Professor worked on Gilligan's arms. After he finally finished, he told Skipper to wait outside, because he wanted to have a word with Gilligan. Skipper had refused at first, wanting to watch out for his little buddy, but Professor insisted. Reluctantly, Skipper left the hut leaving Professor and Gilligan alone.

"Gilligan, why? Why would you do this? When did you start?"

Gilligan hung his head in shame before replying, "I only started two weeks ago, Professor. I was yelled at again by all of you when we missed another chance at rescue. Only it wasn't my fault. It's like no matter what I do, somebody's blaming me for something. Remember when the pot of glue exploded and was all over us, and you guys chased me into the thing of feathers, and they became glued to us? I didn't know the pot of glue was going to explode. Instead of being mad at me, you guys should have stayed in front of that camera. If you hadn't chased me, we wouldn't have been stuck in feathers! Then when that storm took the phone cables out into the lagoon, and Skipper made me look for them sixty-four times. The storm would have taken them, anyway! I was only trying to help when I covered them. Then when we thought the island was sinking, because I moved the measuring stick in the lagoon. IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"

Professor jumped, as Gilligan stood up from his chair, screaming.

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO PUT THE MEASURING STICK THERE, AND DIDN'T TELL ANYBODY! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS! ANYBODY COULD HAVE MADE THAT SAME MISTAKE! YOU ALL JUST BLAME ME BECAUSE I'M GILLIGAN! NO MATTER WHAT I DO, YOU GUYS ALL TREAT ME BAD! I KNOW YOU ALL CARE ABOUT ME DEEP DOWN, BUT YOU SURE HAVE A FUNNY WAY OF SHOWING IT!"

"Gilligan, calm- calm down-"

Gilligan stormed out of the hut, leaving the Professor in stunned silence.


	6. Chapter 6

NOTE: Hi, all! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews! They really mean a lot to me, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! :)

Mary Ann sat quietly in her and Ginger's hut, tears pouring down her cheeks. She was shaking, literally shaking. Gilligan had been harming himself, and then had another fit and stormed off. Skipper and Professor went to look for him, and Mary Ann wanted to look, too, but they told her to wait. They had been gone for over an hour, and Mary Ann was losing her patience! Where in the world were they? Was he in his cave again? Were Skipper and Professor talking to him right now? Bringing him back?

Ginger put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. She, too, was worried about Gilligan, and she also had tears in her eyes, but was able to calm herself down some. Mary Ann, it seemed, was taking it the hardest out of everybody. She was so sweet and innocent, and had never met anyone who would harm themselves like that.

"It's going to be all right, Mary Ann. You'll see. Skipper and Professor will bring him home."

"But how could he do this, Ginger? Gilligan's not the type to hurt himself on purpose. On accident, definitely, but not on purpose!"

Ginger turned Mary Ann around to face her. "Listen, honey, you need to calm down, okay? For Gilligan's sake. He wouldn't want to come back and find you've turned into a puddle of goo."

This made Mary Ann laugh. "You're one to talk."

"Okay, fair enough, but I've got a bit of news that might cheer you up."

"What is it?"

"It's about me and the Professor. See, we're- earlier, we kind of admitted, um- We're in love."

Mary's Ann's jaw dropped. This news she was definitely not expecting.

"Ginger, that's wonderful!"

"Isn't it?"

"How long?"

"We've known for a while now, but never had the chance or the courage to admit it."

Mary Ann leaned forward and hugged her friend. "I'm so happy for you two, Ginger. Be careful around Mrs. Howell, though. She'll want to plan a wedding or something."

Ginger laughed at this. It felt good to laugh and talk normally again. Suddenly, a loud boom of thunder was heard, causing the girls to jump up out of their seats. Ginger went to open the door of the hut, and it was pouring down rain outside. The wind was blowing like crazy.

Meanwhile, Skipper and Professor were still searching for Gilligan. He wasn't in his cave, or any of his usual spots. Where the first mate could have went to, was anybody's guess.

"Let's head back, Skipper. Maybe he calmed down, and decided to go back to the hut."

Skipper wasn't so sure, but followed Professor back to camp, hoping and praying that his little buddy was all right.

They were in for a big shock when they got back to camp. Gilligan was back, but he was standing on the roof of his and Skipper's hut!

"GILLIGAN! LITTLE BUDDY!"

Skipper's shouts caused the girls and the Howells to all come out of their huts and see what was going on. They all gasped in shock, when they saw Gilligan on top of the hut, standing, holding out his arms.

"WHAT ON EARTH FOR YOU DOING, GILLIGAN?"

"PROFESSOR, I'M WAITING ON THE LIGHTNING TO STRIKE ME!"

"WHAT?!"

The other six castaways shouted at the same time. Was he crazy?

"GILLIGAN, HAVE YOU LOST WHAT IS LEFT OF YOUR MIND, MY BOY?"

Gilligan shook his head at Mr. Howell, and closed his eyes, a satisfied smirk on his young face.

"I'VE SURVIVED LOTS OF THINGS! THE SHIPWRECK, THE HUNT, HEADHUNTERS, ALL KINDS OF THINGS! I CAN SURVIVE THIS, TOO!"

The others all shouted and pleaded with Gilligan to come down, as another boom of thunder hit. While the others were distracted, watching Gilligan, Mary Ann had an idea of her own. She decided to climb up onto the hut as well.

"MARY ANN? GET DOWN HERE!"

Gilligan turned and found Mary Ann standing behind him.

"Mary Ann?"

The rain was drenching both Gilligan and Mary Ann as they stood on the roof of the hut.

"Gilligan, please! Don't do this! You've survived a lot of things, but you're not invincible."

Gilligan looked at Mary Ann in confusion.

"What?"

"It means- Oh, never mind! Gilligan, this is ridiculous! I need you, okay? I love you! I've loved you since the first time I met you! And I don't mean as a sister or a cousin or a niece or aunt, or whatever! I mean, romantically! I'm in love with you, Gilligan! Please! Come back to me!"

Mary Ann held out her hand to Gilligan, whose jaw was hanging open in shock. Not only that, but there was something in Gilligan's eyes. It wasn't the rain.

"Mary Ann, I-I love you, too."

Mary Ann smiled as Gilligan took her hand and they both climbed back down the hut, to their waiting friends.


	7. Chapter 7

NOTE: Hey, all! Thanks again for the lovely reviews! Sorry, if some of the chapters are short, but hey, I do my best! This is the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! :)

Everyone sat in Gilligan and Skipper's huts, wrapped up in towels and blankets from the rain. It was still lightning and thundering outside. Gilligan and Mary Ann sat huddled in a corner, trying to warm each other up. Professor and Ginger were in another corner, as were the Howells. Poor Skipper was all by his lonesome, as he sat, shivering.

"Sk-Skipper, y-you c-c-can c-come o-over here if you w-want," Gilligan offered.

Skipper didn't hesitate as he walked over and sat next to the Gilligan and Mary Ann. It was nice and peaceful in the hut, as they all sat quietly, trying to get warm. Everybody was still worried about Gilligan. He didn't say much after he got down from the hut with Mary Ann. Offering Skipper a seat beside them was the first thing Gilligan said in forty-five minutes.

"Are you all right, little buddy?"

Gilligan nodded yes, but continued to shiver. Whether it was from the cold or from something else, nobody knew for sure. Mary Ann had her arm wrapped around him, and he felt very tense. She ran her hand soothingly up and down Gilligan's back, trying to get him to relax. It seemed to work a little bit.

"Gilligan, it's going to be okay. Kinkaid's gone."

Again, Gilligan just nodded. Skipper sighed impatiently, but decided not to say anything else. Not until Gilligan was ready to talk.

After ten more minutes of silence, Gilligan started to sniffle, and then surprised everybody by breaking out into hysterical sobs.

"Oh, Gilligan, dear," Mary Ann said, as she pulled him closer to her and rest his head against her chest, rocking him.

The others all gathered around him, trying to make him feel better. Mr. Howell reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his teddy bear, handing it to Gilligan.

"Let Teddy sleep with you tonight, dear boy. He's very good at keeping the nightmares away."

Gilligan wiped at his eyes, and said, "Thanks, Mr. Howell."

"Don't mention it, my boy. You're worth it."

Wow! What a compliment. Especially from Mr. Howell. Gilligan's eyes widened in shock.

"I mean it, son. I know I haven't exactly been the nicest person to you. I've taken advantage of you, done all kinds of things that I regret every single day. Me and Lovey were never able to have children of our own, and it broke our hearts. I actually think being stuck on this island has been a blessing in a way. You're like the son we've always wanted. That will never change. I can promise you that."

It was Ginger's turn to speak now.

"Gilligan, you're like my little brother. I love you. All those times I've scared you, I really am sorry. You're the only guy I know who has ever been scared of me. I know you're not anymore, though. Honey, we know you've been through a lot these past few days, but we're here for you. Okay?"

Gilligan nodded yes. Tears continued to pour down his cheeks, but they were happy tears now.

Soon, the others were all saying how much he meant to them, and how much they loved him.

"Little buddy, we've all made a deal. We're not going to be so rough on you anymore. You'll still do your chores like the rest of us, but I won't be so mean to you whenever you goof up. Everybody goofs up, and it's wrong the way we've blamed you over everything that's happened even when it wasn't your fault. The fact that we caused you to want to harm yourself, tears us all up inside. You're our best friend, and we promise to always be there for you, and to not be so hard on you."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. They all meant every word they said. From now on, Gilligan was going to get treated with respect.

"I love you guys, too, and your words sure do mean a lot to me. I'm sorry for what I've done to myself. It wasn't just because of you guys, though. It's just- I miss my parents. My brother, Mark. My friend, Skinny Mulligan. I miss going to the movies, and eating ice cream, and- I just miss it all."

"We miss home, too, Gilligan," the Professor said, patting Gilligan's shoulder.

"But for now, this is our home," said Mary Ann, giving Gilligan a kiss on the cheek. "We'll get home some day, you'll see. At least we have each other."

"That's right, little buddy, and we're going to stick together no matter what."

Gilligan smiled and nodded, feeling much better.

"Thanks, you guys."

They all hugged Gilligan, and they all decided that tomorrow they would throw a party to celebrate Gilligan being alive, and just for being there with them. The party was going to be just for him.

Professor decided to turn on the radio to listen to some music, when the newsman said something that shocked all of the Castaways. It was about Jonathan Kinkaid. Apparently, he had been shot and killed while on a hunting trip. Someone had mistaken him for a deer, and shot him, killing him on the spot.

Everyone, except Gilligan, cheered happily. Mrs. Howell was the first to notice the sad look on Gilligan's face.

"What's the matter, dear boy?"

"It's just- I feel bad that he's dead. I mean, I'm glad that he's never coming back, but I don't want him dead! I-I know he was trying to kill me, but-"

The others understood Gilligan perfectly. To be honest, they weren't happy to hear that he had been killed, but they were happy to know that he would no longer be a threat to them or to anybody else.

The party the next day made Gilligan feel a whole lot better. Mary Ann had baked him a cake, and they all danced, drank wine, and ate lobster that Skipper and Professor caught at the lagoon. Gilligan's arms were healing up nicely, and he had made a promise to never do anything foolish like trying to hurt himself ever again.

After a couple of more days, Gilligan was over his ordeal with Kinkaid, and was happier than he'd been in years, thanks to his friends, and the love of his life, Mary Ann.

"Remember, little buddy, when the going gets tough, you'll always have six shoulders to cry on."

THE END


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